The Protectors
by starspangledlibra
Summary: Alfred and Matthew do whatever they can to protect the less fortunate children of District 12. And each other. But in a game where only one person survives, can they protect themselves?
1. Chapter 1

_Alfred's POV:_

Seven thousand people… Two thousand slips in a bowl with names on them… And they're all mine… All of a sudden, I'm in the arena, and 23 other faceless tributes are circling around me, knives in hand. They're closing in; there's no way out. And I can't move. That was my dream last night, and I haven't been able to shake it, so I've been lying here in the dark for what feels like years, even though I know it's only been a couple of hours. Today's the day of the reaping. It's not my first year, but right now it sure feels like it is. The sweaty palms, the nausea, the nightmares... the chills that overtake my body and leave me paralyzed… It's all coming back, and I think I'm going under… I think I… No. I can't let myself feel like this. The reaping really scares Matt, and I have to be strong for him. Especially if one of us gets picked; I need to be there for him, not just physically, but mentally too, and emotionally. I'm useless in this state, and I know it.

These are the things I tell myself over and over again in my head, as I grip the edge of the bed and force myself to sit up. Then I begin the even more difficult process of putting my feet on the floor and standing up on my shaky legs. Not the most enjoyable or simple task in the world, but with my brother in mind, I finally manage. My legs are still resisting use, however, so I stumble into my dresser, and my knee makes a loud thumping sound on contact with the piece of furniture. I freeze and clench my teeth together, holding back a string of profanities, as I quickly check the bed on the other side of the room. The lump under the covers doesn't stir, and a sigh of relief escapes my lips. Matthew is still asleep. Good. He hasn't been sleeping well for awhile, so any sleep he can get between now and the reaping will be good for him. I need to let him rest… Even if I want more than anything for him to wake up so I'll have somebody to talk to… I know that's selfish of me though, so after pulling on my jeans, a t-shirt, and my leather jacket, I quietly slip out of the room and close the door behind me.

As if on auto pilot, I rush down the stairs and head straight to the front door, where my old leather boots are waiting for me. I slide into them, and immediately, I feel a little bit better, a little bit more like myself. Yes, a little trip to the woods is exactly what I need to take the edge off of today's grim ceremonies. Besides, it's not like I can ever take a day off; not on today of all days. In fact, I'm probably needed now more than ever. And that's exactly the motivation I'll need to get me through the day.

_Matthew's POV:_

As the door shuts, I open my eyes and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I don't have to pretend to be asleep anymore. The truth is, I've been awake for hours, ever since Alfred woke up screaming late last night. This kind of thing happens a lot… But I could never let Alfred know that; he always feels guilty about waking me up, and he feels even more guilty if I try to stay up and comfort him, even though I keep telling him that I want to do this for him. He is my brother after all, and I can't stand to see him in pain or hear him cry. But Alfred is proud; too proud to accept help from anyone. Not even from me.

Glancing over at the unmade bed next me, I shake my head. I thought we were going to take the day off to at least try and relax before the ceremonies, but it seems that Alfred had other ideas on how to spend his morning. "Even on the Reaping Day, he's still working," I mutter. I suppose I shouldn't have thought any differently; those kids mean everything to him. And don't get me wrong, they mean a lot to me too; it's just… today is a dangerous day. Everyone is already on edge, so people will be on the lookout for anything that seems suspicious, or out of the ordinary. I just really don't want Alfred to get in trouble by being too careless today. I think sometimes he forgets that what we're doing is illegal. It's incredibly generous, unselfish, and overall very brave, but illegal nonetheless. Definitely illegal. It takes me only a moment to decide that I'm going to join him. I'd much rather take my chances getting caught out there, than sitting around worrying all morning, so without a second thought

I get up and begin to get dressed. I strip off my pajama pants, trading them for my favorite pair of jeans. They're muddy, worn, and slightly frayed at the bottoms, but I can't part with them, even if it was possible to get ahold of a decent pair of jeans right now in our district. Mom made them for me, and that make them priceless; I will probably be wearing these jeans until I outgrow them or until they fall apart, whichever comes first… I quickly throw on a clean shirt and my red jacket, and I step into my leather boots, which are identical to Al's, aside from the fact that mine have less scuff marks than his do.

At last, I slide my glasses onto my face and step in front of the mirror so that I can see myself clearly for the first time this morning. I look… terrible. Dark grey bags hang under my eyes, and my hair is all in knots. Great. Perfect. I have the unsexy version of sex hair- it is going to take so much work to make myself look presentable by two- o'clock this afternoon. I sigh. Oh well; I don't have time to do anything about it now. Right now I have to go… I rush down the stairs, and I'm about to leave when I hear my father in the kitchen. "Matthew?" he asks.

"Yes, Dad; it's me."

"Can you come in here for a minute?" A groan escapes my lips. Not that I don't love my dad, but I'm kind of in a hurry. I need to high tail it to the other side of the district, so that I can catch up with Alfred. He must have heard me because he quickly adds, "It will only take a minute, I promise. Then you can go." I wince at the pleading tone in his voice, and I instantly regret coming off as rude to him. It's just been a rough morning. A rough couple of weeks, actually, but that's not his fault.

"Ok, sure, Dad…" The first thing I see when I enter the kitchen is my father holding out a small white box with a bow on top. My eyes immediately soften. "You got me a present?" I ask, my voice threatening to crack. He nods.

"It's for you and your brother. I assume Alfred left already though?"

"Yeah, he did."

"I thought so… Considering that this box was perfectly untouched, and I didn't find any crumbs on the table when I came down here…" He shakes the box just slightly. "Nope, it's still in there." He smiles, and then we both start laughing because we know how voracious Alfred gets when there's food in the house. Especially food he likes. And being able to laugh at such a minor thing like that makes life almost seem normal for a minute. I like that. But of course it can't last. After we have our moment, there is a long, pervading silence, and we both try to figure out what else to say. He doesn't seem to know, so I it's me who speaks up.

"Anyway, I'm going to go too, so I can join Alfred on his walk." He nods.

" All right. Well why don't you take this with you? There are forks in the box; the two of you can treat yourselves once you're done with your… walk."

"Sounds great." Thanks, Dad! I take the box from him, and he pulls me into a hug. "Dad…" I sigh. I know why he's doing this, but does he have to do this now? "Dad, we'll be back later." And then after the ceremonies are over we'll be back again, so we can all have a nice family dinner… together. I don't say this, but I'm thinking it. I'm thinking it as I slip out of his arms and out the door, before he can see the tears in my eyes. Damn, I don't know why I'm getting so emotional; nothing is going to happen to us today.

What will probably happen is that we will go to the reaping, stand in tense silence as two other names are called, and then we will go home, and we will eat whatever special meal our father has bought for us this year. Same thing that happens every year since we were 12. After all, my name is only in the reaping four times… Alfred's name is only in the reaping four times. Odds are, we'll be just fine. The odds are in our favor, as Effie Trinket likes to say. But as long as our names are in a drawing for who has to fight to the death on a twisted game show, will the odds ever really be in our favor?

I ponder over this, until I reach the fence that marks the edge of District 12. Beyond that is just woods, and that is where I will find my brother. The fence is supposedly there to "keep us safe from the woods", "to protect us" from any wild animals that might come into town otherwise, though everyone knows it's really meant to prevent people from trying to escape. But that's the benefit of living in a dirt poor district, I guess- the electricity comes and goes for most areas of District 12, and so security measures aren't quite up to par with some of the other districts… Right now, the fence looks dead, but I place my ear up to it anyway and listen for any hum of electricity. As usual, I hear nothing, and so I climb over the fence with ease. Once I'm on the other side I dart into the forest, weaving through the trees, until I'm sure that I'm well hidden. Because if you get caught outside the walls, the odds will never be in your favor. I know this all too well.

_**Author's note:**_

_So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I've been wanting to do this crossover for awhile now, and I've got a lot of plans for this one, so I definitely plan on finishing it… Anyway, I don't know how much I'll keep the same, and how much I'll change from the original Hunger Games storyline, but I do know that I'm going to make some changes, so don't expect things to go exactly the way they did in the book. :P Comments are always welcome, and thanks for reading! _

_((Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Hetalia, or The Hunger Games, nor am I claiming to)) _


	2. Chapter 2

_Alfred's POV:_

I keep my eyes focused on my next target- a huge make deer. The buck is standing there, directly in front of me, only about a hundred feet away, but he could move at any moment. He could run away or worse, charge at me if he feels like he's being threatened, so I have to be careful. I have to stay quiet; I can't make any noise. Slowly, I draw back my bow and aim it at the deer's head. As long as he stays still, I am sure that I'll hit my target. But just as I'm about to release, I hear sound of leaves crunching, and I instinctively turn around to try and find the source of the sound. When I don't see anything, I wonder if maybe I'm just imagining things… But then I hear it again…

"Alfred?!" My name echoes through the forest. I cringe. I turn to look at the spot where the deer had been, and sure enough, it's gone.

"Damn," I mutter as I sit and wait for my brother to join me. And sure enough, he finds me not even a minute later. "Hey, Bro, I never thought I'd be saying the one saying this to you, but… Think maybe next time you wanna be a little quieter? You scared off a deer- I was about to shoot a deer! It's been so long since I've seen one of those." Matthew leans against the tree and holds up a hand, telling me to wait a minute while he tries to catch his breath. Finally he tries to speak, but his words are coming out as breathy and ragged. I can barely make out what he's saying.

"Sorry! I… just… I wanted to… find you… Got a present from…Dad…" He leans down and hands me a small white box, and a grin spreads across my face. This is from the bakery; there's no mistaking it. I tear off the bow and fling open the lid to find a chocolate cake inside. A perfectly made chocolate cake with chocolate icing and caramel sauce drizzled on top. I immediately dip my finger into the icing and take a taste. "Mmmmm…" It's perfect. So I take another taste, and then another… "Mmmmm; god this is good; it's so good… Sweet chocolate; I've missed you so much!"

"Ummm, Al? If you're done having your little… moment with the cake, am I forgiven?" I pause to think this over. What was I mad about again? Oh right- the deer. Yeah, I was pretty mad about that, but with chocolate in front of me, it doesn't seem to matter so much right now…

"Yeah, yeah, sure; you're forgiven! Now come on and sit down; you look like you're gonna pass out." I'm only just now seeing it, but Matthew's leaning pretty heavily against that tree. He looks a little dazed… and I'm not liking how pale he looks.

"I'm fine," he assures me. "I just… did a lot of running through the woods. I'm still working on getting back into shape, you know? We can't all bounce back as quickly as you can."

"Yeah, and that's why you need to sit and take a break…" Matthew got really sick this winter. So did Mom. She didn't make it… Thankfully, Matthew did, but it's been a long, slow process for him to fully recover. Even now, his endurance isn't quite what t used to be, and he can't run for as long as I can. We're working on it though; he's improving every day. "Come on," I urge. "If you sit, I'll let you have some of the cake…"

He smirks at this. "Oh can I? Have some of our cake that I brought to you? Why thank you, Dear Brother, how very generous of you…" He sits down next to me. I smile and pass him one of the forks at the bottom of the box. As we start eating the cake, it gets quiet, save for the occasional rustling of the trees. I don't like the silence, but I guess there's not much to say on a day like today. I wonder if I should tell Matthew that his hair looks like it went through a tornado. But he probably already knows… Suddenly I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I look over to find Matthew staring at me. "Don't worry, Alfie," he whispers. "They're not gonna pick you…"

I fake a smile. "I'm not worried!" But I am. A little bit anyway. You see, when you turn 12, you become eligible for the reaping. That year your name only goes in the drawing once. Then the next year, your name goes in two times, the next year, three times, all the way up until you turn 18; your last year. That year you have seven slips of paper with your name on them. Matt and I should only have our names in the reaping four times this year. Should. But here's the catch; say you're poor or starving, as so many of the citizens of our district are. We're not; our dad's the mayor, and while that doesn't count for a whole lot in District 12, we live comfortably enough. We have a nice house, electricity- most of the time, modern plumbing, extra clothing, and a guaranteed three meals a day. I know so many people who are lucky to get one… And so I do everything I can to help them out.

There is this deal, set up by the Capital, that once you turn 12, you are allowed to sign up for tesserae, which are modest one year supplies of grain and oil, in exchange for extra entries in the reaping. It's sure as hell not enough to live on, but it helps, so this is a popular option in our District. Everyone between the ages of 12 and 18 is allowed to sign up for one tessera for each person in their family. I'm entitled to four, well three now as of this year, rations of tesserae, and since I don't need it I give it all away. I think that the people in charge of distributing the tesserae know what I'm doing, but they can't prove it, so they can't stop me. And I still receive my extra entries, so why should they care who gets the food?

Matthew doesn't seem convinced that I'm ok, and he nudges me a little. Pulls me back into the present. "Are you sure you're not afr- err nervous?" he asks. "Because it's ok if you are. I am."

A forced laugh escapes my lips. "Of course I'm sure! I'm fine! After all, what's there to worry about? We both know we're not gonna get chosen, so why panic?" I do my best to keep the fear out of my voice, and I think he seems to be buying it.

"Ok, Al. I guess you're right," he concedes."

"Course I'm right! I'm always right!"

"I wouldn't go that far," he says, chuckling softly.

"Well ok; maybe not. But I am right about this… We're going to be just fine. Now no more talk about the reaping, or the games, or any of that stuff; we've got some hunting to do!"

"But Al-"

"No buts! We are going to hunt and fish and gather, and as much as I want to eat the rest of this cake right now, I think we should save it for the kids, as a little present, you know? Some of them have never had cake before…" He smiles.

"I think that's a great idea, Al."


	3. Chapter 3

_Matthew's POV:_

It has been a good hunting day, and so we make out pretty well in the Hob, which is the unofficial trading market for our district. In there, anything and everything can be bought and sold, regardless of its legality. And that's exactly why we go there. Since hunting is technically illegal in the districts, we can't just sell this stuff to the regular town market. We could get in serious trouble if we were ever caught. But just because its illegal doesn't mean its not in high demand… So often the official shops run out of things like bread, milk, soap, thread, and other basic items that its not uncommon to see even the higher up officials of District 12 wandering the flee market like stalls of the Hob. I greet a peacekeeper who is leaving with a bottle of white liquor tucked up his sleeve as we enter.

We really don't need all that much today. Our efforts from this morning have provided more than enough for the kids, so the trip is quick. I buy two quarts of milk and a loaf of bread. Alfred claims that he didn't buy anything, but the guilty smile and the lump under his jacket tells me he's bought cookies again. The chocolate on his lower lip tells me he's already eaten one. I smile and roll my eyes. "Oh Alfred…"

"What?" He cocks his head to the side and makes a face not unlike one that a puppy would make. Big blue eyes, wide and innocent, as if he has no idea that he's dipped into our grocery money for sweets again.

"…Nothing…" I finally answer, with a sigh. "…But you'd better share those."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Share what?" He reaches up to wipe the area around his mouth, but he keeps missing that one chocolate spot, and soon my disapproval turns into amusement.

"Alfie, just lick your lips!" I say, trying not to laugh. His cheeks turn bright pink in embarrassment, but he licks his lips, and the chocolate disappears. "That's better… Now, you wanna maybe take those cookies out of their hiding place, and put them in my bag?"

"Yeah."

The walk to the orphanage is eerily quiet. I suppose that I should be thankful that the streets are empty and not crawling with peacekeepers, especially now that I notice a rabbit paw sticking out of Alfred's game bag. But no cats perch on the windowsills, no dogs root through the trashcans for scraps of food, and no birds fly above us in search of a place to land. In fact, we can't even hear them at all, which is odd because usually the birds have started their song by now. Perhaps they know what day it is and have decided to pay silent homage to the two children we will lose today. Perhaps… Maybe… I don't know. The only thing that's certain is that the people are hiding, the animals are missing, and until it's time to fill the village square, our only company will be the soot and coal dust that lines the streets. And right now, that's fine with me.

The orphanage is on the outskirts of our district. My leg muscles begin to feel a little sore when we arrive, but Alfred doesn't seem to notice. In fact, he abandons me and runs the last few meters, up to the small wooden house with discolored patches on the roof. When we fist started coming here, it was these patches that helped distinguish it from the other surrounding houses. They showed us where we needed to go. Now, three years later they serve as more of a homey decoration for the place, much like a doormat… Often overlooked, but still always there, and visible, if you're paying attention.

Alfred is already inside by the time I reach the front door, so I just let myself in. As usual, my brother is sitting on the floor, surrounded by kids; they all want to take their turn saying hi, giving him a hug, or sometimes a high five from the boys who are a little older. A six-year-old girl with long blonde curls pushes past the other children and leaps into his arms. "Alfred!" She squeals, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you!" Alfred laughs and picks up the little girl, setting her down in his lap.

"You did? But I was just here yesterday! How can you miss me already?"

"Because I do! Didn't you miss me?" At this, my brother and I both smile; the pure simplistic innocence of this question demands it.

"Of course I did, Lucille! In fact, I missed all of you," he says, addressing the other children now as well. "And I'm sorry I can't stay very long today, but just wait till you see what Mattie and I brought for you today; we've got a some treats!" It is only now that the kids realize that I am here too, and it is my turn to hugged and greeted by a dozen children. Apart from Lucy, who stays put in Alfred's lap.

"Did you bring candy?" she asks him. He shakes his head.

"No, something much better."

"What could be better than candy?!" A smug smile forms on his lips.

"You'll see…"

I tell Al to go ahead and play with the kids outside while I clean and skin the rabbits. Madge, the caretaker of the children and owner of the house, makes me some tea while I work. Once it's ready, she pours a cup for me and a cup for herself. "I'll start the cooking in a minute, Honey," she assures me as she takes a seat at the table. There's a pause. "Those are some fine looking rabbits by the way… nice big ones too- more than enough to feed everyone…" Another pause. "Matthew, we appreciate you boys being here, but you didn't need to come today. I think they would have understood."

"No, it's ok; we want to be here. Especially Alfred…" I look out the window and catch a glimpse of him playing tag with the other children. It's his turn to be it, and I can tell he's purposely being slow to give the younger ones a head start in running away. He reaches out and attempts to tag one of the girls, but she narrowly escapes. Then he almost catches one of the boys, but he also evades capture. His third target isn't so lucky. It turns out to be Lucille. Alfred reaches her in seconds; he extends his arms, as if about to take flight, and then he bends down and scoops her up into his arms.

"Gotcha!" he shouts. I can't hear what she says- her shrieking and giggling mask the words that are coming out of her mouth, but it's probably something along the lines of 'Put me down; that's cheating!' Alfred only laughs in response, but he sets her down and sprints off before she can tag him back.

"…I think it helps keep his mind off of things, coming here, being with them… It's one of his favorite parts of the day."

"What helps keep your mind off of things?" she asks. I pause.

"I don't know …Nothing really. I never get a break from thinking about everything, and I probably never will, but seeing my brother happy like this, that's the closest I'll ever get. And for now, it's enough." Madge nods and gets up to start preparing the food.

"You're a good brother," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's lucky to have you." I smile and continue to skin the rabbits.

_**(*** Author's note: Welcome new followers! Sorry for the delay- college has kept me busy, and I've been having some serious writer's block, OTL... But I'm feeling more motivated to write now, so hopefully I'll get another update soon. Thanks for reading! :3 )**_


End file.
